I’d been wanting to go and cover the Fretboard Summit (fretboardsummit.org) in Chicago for years. It’s a guitar event created by Jason Verlinde, editor-in-chief of the Fretboard Journal (fretboardjournal.com). It features concerts, talks, panel discussions and, of course, a guitar show. Well, 2026 will be the year this plan comes to fruition, as I’ll be in Chicago from 19 to 24 August.

As I explain in the video below, I firmly believe that when times are tough, as they are at the moment, it’s the best time to break new ground. The program for this Fretboard Summit looks brilliant and promises some wonderful encounters and fascinating reports. I can’t wait to be there.

The audio version of the video is available in the podcast on iTunes, Spotify and below:

Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar!

Pierre Journel.

For more info:
The Guitar Channel Reports
Guitar Show Archives

In 2026, The Guitar Channel travelled to Finland for the first time to cover ToneFest (tonefest.fi), the country’s biggest guitar show. Here is an interview with Petri Matero, organiser of this wonderful event and owner of the shop Tonefest Guitar Gallery (tonefestguitargallery.com), also located in Tuusula, just north of Helsinki.

A big thank you to Petri, who partly funded my trip to Finland and thus made it possible

The audio version of the video is available in the podcast on iTunes, Spotify and below:

I absolutely loved covering this guitar show. It was a blast to meet luthiers producing instruments of the very highest standard. The Finnish musicians who were there, whether performing in concert or giving masterclasses, were top-class; I was truly blown away by meeting all these talented people.

If the stars align, I hope to be able to go back there in the future.

Until the next interview or gear review, keep on playing the guitar!

Pierre Journel.

For more info:
ToneFest Reports

Thanks to a long-time subscriber to La Chaîne Guitare (thank you, Michel!), I was able to get in touch with Polish musician Robert Pieculewicz (Facebook page). Here he is in a Zoom interview to learn about his career and his projects.

The audio version of the video is available in the podcast on iTunes, Spotify and below:

Until the next interview, keep on playing the guitar!

Pierre Journel.

For more info:
Guitar in Hand Interview